up next on a second look, you've heard the speech. >> i have a dream. >> but do you know the story behind it and the social and political struggle it addressed. that straight ahead tonight on a second look. good evening and welcome to a second look. i'm julie haener. this week marks marks a

momentus anniversary in the history of the united states. it was 50 years ago that reverend martin luther king delivered his "i have a dream" speech. john f. kennedy had come into office. helping to spur him and the nation to further action, civil rights leaders organized a march to intergrate equality in the south. they're called the freedom fighters. >> reporter: for too long in america segregation in the south was synonymous. but in the 1960s a new generation armed with a new supreme court decision prohibiting discrimination challenged the status quo in the south. >> this land is composed of two different cultures. a white culture and a colored

culture and i've lived close to them all my life. but i'm told that we mistreated them and that we must change and these changes are coming faster than i expected. >> reporter: in the 50s, change wasn't just coming it had arrived. blacks were risking their homes, their jobs even their lives for freedom and equality for a taste of america's democracy. >> i was hit in the head with a wooden crate. knocked down, bloodied and i was going in and out of consciousness. i thought i was going to die. >> reporter: georgia congressman john lewis was a young man in 1961 a student when he boarded a bus and enbarked on a journey to desegregation. known as the freedom ride, they organized it in 1961.

seven blacks and six whites left washington, d.c. on two buses they headed south. at first, only minor hostility greeted them. but when one bus arrived in birmingham alabama, a mob surrounded them and beat the freedom fighters. >> i was on the greyhound, that was the bus they set on fire. burned it. and we would have all burned to death had it not been for the fact that one of the fuel tanks of the bus exploded, scared the hell out of the mob. >> reporter: that ride ended abruptly and the riders feared the violence would snuff out the movement. the first ride was not the

last. students willing to face death picked up the cause boarding buses heading south. in his san francisco home, frank nelson shares his story with blankenhide. nelson took his first ride in june, by then the movement had spread to trains. >> they got off the train and headed to the homes that were right there. the black riders went into the whites homes and they were carted off to jail. >> reporter: nelson was 23 when his body was bruised and beaten. >> friend, i'm a mississippi segragist and i'm proud of it. >> reporter: as the south resisted integration, president john f. kennedy grew frustrated, nelson says the president wanted to help blacks but also wanted to appease

southern voters. >> the kennedys were sort of behind it but not really. i mean lip service was there. >> reporter: throughout that summer more than 300 freedom riders traveled through the deep south. in september the president's brother attorney general robert kennedy asked for and received more stringent regulations. by the end of 61, public transportation throughout the south was integrated. >> after the violent response to the freedom riders, president kennedy sent a bill to congress. he talked to the nation about why it should pass. >> now the time has come for this nation to fulfill its promise. the events in berming ham and elsewhere have so increased that cries for equality that no city or state or legislative body can choose to ignore them. the fires of frustration and

discord are burning in every city. in demonstrations, parades and protests. which create tension and threaten violence and threaten lives. a great change is at hand. and our task, our obligation is to make that revolution, that change peaceful and constructive for all. up next on a second look, as that civil rights bill stalledded in congress, civil rights groups pushed for action. at that march came the moment that stands out in history. >> free at last, free at last, thank god all mighty, we are free at last. >> we'll bring you the story behind that speech. >> and a bit later the deadly bombing at a black church only a few weeks later and the deaths of four girls inside. look at 'em.

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welcome back to a second

look. the year is 1963, throughout the south people are demonstrating for civil rights. police are sometimes responding violently and a major civil rights bill is stuck in congress. it's with that in mind that civil rights leaders call for a march on washington to push that legislation forward. that march took place 50 years ago this week. and set the stage for the most moving speech in history. >> reporter: august 28th 1963, 250,000 people descended on washington, d.c. coming from everywhere, by bus, train and car. and thousands had walked. they marched to the washington mall where the 34-year-old reverend martin luther king jr. already renowned as an author and freedom rights leader was to make the speech of his life. >> i have a dream that my four

little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. >> reporter: the reverend cecil williams of glide memorial church was there. >> i just said, something exciting is really taking place today. because there were just hoards of people. i mean people coming from every direction. and i was so proud to be a part of it. it was -- i had never seen that many people before in my life. it was the forum and the movement and the energy and the commitment and spirit of the people. >> many of them had never stood even in a line where there were black and white people together. you would never know that there was any feeling of hostility or anything. it was such a beautiful spirit that existed that day. >> reporter: martin luther king knew that his speech had to reach out beyond the immediate crowd to touch the hearts of

people everywhere. so after detailing the suffering and injustice his people endured he wound up with a message of hope. >> this is the piece that i go back to the south with, with this faith, we will be able to go over the mountain of dispair and soon of hope. will this faith we will be able to transform the discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. with this faith, we will be able to work together to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together. knowing that we will be free one day. >> the reverend amus brown of san francisco's third baptist church was also there as an organizer. he says much of king's message that day has been forgotten. >> 85% or more of that speech

was about the wrongs of america. about this bad check that america had written on freedom, that had bounced for african americans. and he very well delineated the shortcomings of this country. the dream was nothing but auritory. it was the pariation, it was the coming home, it was the wrapping it up. it was not the subject of his speech. >> reporter: one of the things that is remembered the most, is that king never looked down on his notes. he had memorized it completely. >> we will be able to see the day when all of god's

childrens, black and white children, protestants and catholics will be able to sing in the gospel, free at last, free at last. great god all mighty we are freed at last. >> when he got to the last part which is free at last, free at last, thank god all mighty we are free at last. everybody just went wild and shouted and applauded. >> ♪ >> i have a dream that one day on the red hills of georgia, the sons of former slaves and

the sons of former slave owners, will they be able to sit down together at the table of brother hood. i have a dream. >> still to come on a second look. less than a month after the march, a bombing at the steps of the -- was the bomber brought to justice? >>barack obama accepts his party's nomination on the anniversary of the march on washington. -- on the anniversary of the march on washington.

welcome back to a second look. this week marks the 50th anniversary of martin luther king's dream speech. it was only a weeks after that speech that a bomb would go off in birmingham alabama and kill

four girls. it would take decades for the trials to end. >> reporter: birmingham 16th street baptist church had been bombed. three girls, two 14, one 11 were killed as the church prepared for service. reverend abraham lincoln woods remembers the anger he felt as he looked at the rubble of the church. >> if these terrorists, if these fanatics wanted to kill somebody, why didn't they single out those of us who were actively involved in the civil rights struggle? >> probably no admonition of jesus has been more difficult

to follow than the command to love your enemy. >> reporter: it was perhaps the most dastardly act. it came when george wallis was railing against segregation. >> i say segregation, now, segregation tomorrow, and segregation forever. >> reporter: it was a time when the ku-klux-klan demonstrated and openly. 16th street baptist church was the protest headquarters. even children were involved in the demonstrations, many of them arrested. another suspect died before he was charged. that leaves two suspects,

fellow klans man clampton and cherry still alive. they were to be tried together but a judge last week ruled that the 71-year-old cherry was not mentally competent to assist his attorneys and might never be tried. only blanton will now be tried. they reportedly have a mystery witness and others who will implicate blanton. times they say have changed in birmingham. >> i don't think the people fear that if they get up there somebody is going to come and burn a cross in their front yard and try to blow their house out. >> reporter: sixteenth street church is now thriving, but a sense in the history when it was known as bombingham lingers. >> things seem to move mightily slow. even after 36 years, this case seems to be moving rather

slowly. >> cherry was tried and convicted in 2002. sentenced to life cherry died in prison in 2004. former secretary of state condoleezza rice is one of those who has a connection to the victims of the birmingham church bombing. amber lee explains in this report in december of 2000 when george w. bush nominated rice to be national security advisor. >> congratulations. >> reporter: condoleezza rice has an impressive resume. in 1981 at the age of 26 she became a professor at stanford and later went on to become university provote. she was unique, a woman specializes in soviet affairs. in 1989 she joined then president's george w. bush's white house staff as a member of the security council. >> she is an expert on russia and eastern europe. >> reporter: retired san

francisco state international relations professor miller says there's no question that rice is the right person for the job of advisor. rice spoke about the racism her family endured. >> my father joined our party because in 1952, the democrats would not register him to vote. the republicans did. >> reporter: one of her play mates was among four little girls killed in 1963 when a white racist bombed the church. rice says her parents thought her to never allow racism to hold her back. those who know rice say if there are scars from her past, they don't know. >> i see no distortions from the kinds of things she endured and suffered as she was growing

up. >> reporter: former 49ers executive policy met condoleezza rice when she was at stanford. >> she's a woman that captivates you with her energy, her charm, her willingness to do almost anything and talk about anything. >> when we come back on a second look, it was a first in american history and it happen on the anniversary of the march on washington. ♪ ♪ ♪

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this week marks the 50th anniversary of martin luther king's i have a dream speech. one of america's two mayor political parties for the first time confirmed an african american as its nominee for president of the united states. ktvu's david stevenson was there as barack obama accepted that nomination. >> reporter: for so many tonight the sight of an african

american candidate was enough to bring out tears of joy. >> it's so easy to look up and see all these people. i just keep thinking of my father and the history. >> it makes me proud to be american. barack obama is going to do what we've needed for eight years that's restore the promise and hope of what it means to be an american. >> reporter: blake says she came to mark the anniversary of the civil rights march on washington. >> i was a 15-year-old schoolgirl when my mother sent me to washington to hear dr. king that day. it was a day matched on my memory. to be here is overwhelming to me. >> even the performers say they are stunned to be performing tonight. >> i am pinching myself. >> reporter: the wounds are

healing? >> how far we've come in the nation, from slavery to civil rights to today. >> reporter: as the national anthem echoed through the stadium, whites, blacks, latinos and asian remarked on the thought of what today meant. >> it's a great start. >> reporter: change is not just a campaign slogan but as to what it means to be an american in the 21st century. >> few orders have arisen on the national level to match the power of his words and delivery. but could another be in training some where right now? in 2009, ktvu's amber lee brought us this report on some oakland school children who might some day rise to greatness. they were taking part in the 30th annual martin luther king

jr. oratorical quest. >> i am so gentle, i'm smart but i'm learning. >> reporter: they compete if categories such as original poetry. famous speeches and dramatic skits. >> names like hariette tubman, malcolm x, cesar chavez, nelson mandela, martin luther king, president barack obama. >> reporter: and his own family struggles was thought to him by his parents. >> if you don't know your family's his tpreu it's a bummer -- history it's a bummer. >> the 12-year-old looked to be a crowd favorite. >> this thought continues in your mind, in your mind, in your mind.

>> more than one student set the key to winning over an audience is the ability to tell a story through dramatic performance. >> if it's bland and boring if you just speak the words. but but if you act the stories it's like being in a theater while the words are being acted. >> to those things that are not good for us. >> reporter: these contestants say learning to speak on stage before a large audience builds confidence. >> yes we can to justice and equality. yes we can to prosperity. >> reporter: many of the poems and speeches speak about taking control of one's lives despite obstacles. >> showing that you're not afraid to show who you are. picking a poem that is going to show your attitude and show how you feel about everything that's going on. >> awesome, like barack hussein

obama and of course martin luther king jr. and that's it for this week's second look. i'm julie haener, thank you for watching. announcer ] when the a.c. goes out in a heat wave, that comes to the rescue. at&t helped nuccio put a complete mobile solution to work. mobile routing to send the closest technician and mobile payments to invoice on the spot. where do you want to take your business? call us. we can show you how at&t solutions can help you do what you do... even better. ♪

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